Sarah Williams Anne Wilson Wilfrid Laurier University Wrinkles in Time: The Relative Roles of Objective and Subjective Time in Current Emotional Response to Past Events

Did you think we'd be fine Did you think we'd be fine? Still got scars on my back from your knife So don't think it's in the past, these kind of wounds they last and they last Now did you think it all through? All these things will catch up to you And time can heal but this won't, so if you're coming my way, just don't

“Objective” Time

Subjective Time The “sense of how close or far [events] are from the present, immediately experienced self” (Van Boven and Caruso, 2015)

Objective and Subjective Time Given more objective distance: Individuals are more likely to forgive a transgression (Wohl & McGrath, 2007) Individuals are less likely to endorse revenge or avoidance after a personal transgression (McCullough, Fincham, and Tsang, 2003) Given more subjective distance: Individuals judge events as less important to their present-day relationship (Cortes, Leith, and Wilson, in prep)

Which kind of time “heals all wounds”? …we don’t know! Three possibilities: Objective time “heals”, subjective time does not Objective and subjective time measure the same thing, and will be equally important Subjective time matters above and beyond objective time

Roadmap Study 1: Breakups Study 2: Interpersonal Transgressions Study 3: Personal Failures

Study 1: Breakups 115 student participants At least 2 breakups in romantic history 82.6% female M age = 19.3

Study 1: Breakups “Now we would like you to think about your first [most recent] romantic break-up. Think about the events that transpired, words that were said, and your emotions at the time.  Sometimes events tend to feel closer or further away, regardless of how long ago it actually occurred.  Think about the event that you described for this study. Place the slider at the point that best indicates how long ago that event feels to you. Feels very close Feels very far away

Study 1: Breakups Present and future feelings How upset are you about this breakup at present (in one year)? Present and future importance How important is this breakup to you at present (in one year)?

Objective and Subjective Time Objective time – most recent breakup is closer Most recent breakup: Mean = 17.7 months (SD = 15.0 months) First breakup: Mean = 38.3 months (SD = 24.0 months) Subjective time – no difference between breakups Most recent breakup: M = 64.3 First breakup: M = 68.3 Feels very close Feels very far away

Present * * * Feelings At Present Importance At Present R2 = .030 Affect items: upset, angry, hurt, happy (R), breakup desired (R)

Future * * Feelings in Future Importance in Future R2 < .001

Study 2: Interpersonal Transgressions 196 MTurk participants 67.9% female M age = 34.1

Study 2 Think about someone with whom you have a personal relationship Attachment Style Questionnaire (9 items, α = .89) (Fraley et al., 2006) Now we would like you to think about an event that occurred in the past month [a year ago or more] in which the person that you previously selected did something that hurt or wronged you. Subjective time (measured)

Objective and Subjective Time Objective time – month ago is closer Month: Mean = 19.2 days (Median = 14.0 days) Year: Mean = 947.3 days (Median = 569.0 days) Subjective time - month ago does feel closer than one year ago Month: M = 44.2 Year: M = 68.2 Feels very close Feels very far away

Present * * Feelings At Present Importance At Present R2 = .013 Affect items: upset, angry, hurt

Future * * Feelings in Future Importance in Future R2 = .002

Why? If it’s not objective time that’s accounting for differences in subjective time, what is? Past Present Past Present

Interpersonal Transgressions: Attachment Predicts Subjective Time

Subjective Time as Mediator Secure Attachment Style Subjective Time Negative Affect Currently .25** -.47** -.40** (-.28**) Controlling for objective time condition CI [-.0162, -.0049]

Study 3: Personal Failures 212 MTurk participants 52.4% female M age = 35.5

Study 3 Now we would like you to think about an even that you consider a personal failure that occurred approximately one month ago [one year] in the past. This could involve a time you failed to accomplish a goal, did poorly on a task, got negative feedback, or any other kind of even that felt like a failure. It could be related to a personal goal, work, school, home, family, relationship, competition, or any other domain - as long as you considered it a personal failure.  

Study 3 Close Condition: Distant Condition: We would like you to tell the story about what happened during this failure incident. We would like you to tell the story in a particular way: as though it was happening right now, in the present moment. That is, use the present tense when telling the story, and narrate the event as though you were living through it right now, at this very moment.  We will give you the beginning of a sentence to start your story. Use this to start your story, and continue your story in a similar way. For example, use phrases such as, "at this very moment, I am doing..." or "right now, I feel like...".  Your story should begin as follows: "At this moment, I am..." Distant Condition: We would like you to tell the story about what happened during this failure incident. We would like you to tell the story in a particular way: some time has passed now since the event occurred, so we would like you to situate this incident clearly in the past. That is, use the past tense when telling the story, and narrate the event in a way that reflects that you are looking back on a past incident. We will give you the beginning of a sentence to start your story. Use this to start your story, and continue your story in a similar way. For example, use phrases such as, "in the past, I was..." or "back then, I felt like...". Your story should begin as follows: "In the past, I was..."

Subjective Distance (Measured) * † Controlling for past distress

Present Affect * * Present Affect Affect Items: -Upset -Worried -Disappointed -Ashamed -Distressed * * Controlling for past distress

Does time heal all wounds? How far it feels may be more important to know than how far it is People share objective time, but not subjective time Subjective time can be altered

Other Contexts

Preferred Sentence Length Crime Context Preferred Sentence Length 15 Months * R2 = .011 ∆R2 = .137

Race and Prejudice Predict Subjective Time * * Controlling for objective time condition

Subjective Time as Mediator Controlling for objective time condition Subjective Time -.87* -.21** Modern Racism X Race Preferred Jail Sentence 1.09** (.85*) CI [.3558, 3.9695]

White Black Subjective Time .02 -.19 Modern Racism Preferred Jail Sentence -.04 (-.04) CI [-1.0052, .9582] Subjective Time -.40** -.31** Black Modern Racism Preferred Jail Sentence .50** (.37**) CI [.5093, 3.4679]

Does time heal all wounds? How far it feels may be more important to know than how far it is People share objective time, but not subjective time Subjective time can be altered May apply to more than purely personal matters

Our Time Is Up!